Hello everybody.

It's good to see you.

My name is Miss Afzal.

I hope you're well today.

Hope you're doing really, really well.

I am doing pretty good too because I'm really excited to be sharing this book with you today.

The book we're gonna be exploring is 'Blackberry Blue'.

This is what it looks like.

This is the fantastic front cover.

It's by Jamila Gavin, and I would like you now to go off and fetch your copy of this book.

So I'm gonna pause here and admire the front cover while you go into that.

Okay, you're back.

Great.

You've got your book.

What else have we got? Have you got your thinking brain? Have you got some curiosity or some great ideas and enthusiasm? I hope so.

Let's begin exploring 'Blackberry Blue'.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can draw comparisons between 'Blackberry Blue' and other texts.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them one at a time.

My turn, your turn.

Connection, theme, convey, justice.

Great stuff.

Loved hearing those.

Let's find out what these words mean.

How a text relates to a reader, another text or the wider world can be called a connection.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

To convey means to communicate a message to the reader directly or indirectly.

Justice is fairness in the treatment of others, often involving punishment or reward based on their actions.

Let's be on a lookout for these keywords.

Let's listen out for them.

Let's think about them.

They will be coming up in our lesson today.

So making connections to 'Blackberry Blue'.

This lesson has two parts to it.

First of all, exploring connections, and then identifying and reflecting on themes.

Let's begin exploring connections.

'Blackberry Blue' is a collection of fairy tales written by Jamila Gavin, with illustrations by Richard Collingridge.

And here we have this fantastic front cover of 'Blackberry Blue'.

What a text, really draws you in.

The text contains six stories with characters from various backgrounds and cultures, reflecting the diversity of the world.

Each tale contains magical elements and fantastical occurrences, adding to the enchantment of the storytelling.

Characters are identifiable as good or evil depending on their actions and how they're described.

They share some similarities with characters from traditional fairy tales, which we will be exploring today.

Here's a recap of what has happened in the text so far.

Blackberry Blue finds out that a queen has been poisoning Prince Just.

She makes blackberry pies to restore his health.

Blackberry Blue's mother makes her dress of autumn flowers to attend the Autumn Ball.

As she enters the ball, Prince Wolf immediately dances with her, refusing to let her go.

Suddenly, Prince Just reappears with his father.

He vows to marry the person who saved him.

Prince Wolf and his mother transform into creatures and attack Prince Just.

Once again, Blackberry Blue helps the Prince by trapping the wolf.

Prince Just fires an arrow at the raven, killing the creature.

Wow, what a lot of action.

What a text.

What a tale.

Check for understanding.

Who helps Prince Just when he is attacked? Blackberry Blue's mother, the King, Blackberry Blue.

Pause video while you decide which of these characters helps Prince Just when he's attacked.

Well done if you selected Blackberry Blue.

Indeed, she comes to his rescue.

The text resolves with Prince Just recognising Blackberry Blue and a guest arriving late.

Read the final two pages of 'Blackberry Blue' (pages 27 and 28).

What has happened to Blackberry Blue's mother? Pause the video while you read these final two pages and answer this question.

Share your answer with someone nearby.

Here's Laura.

"With the Queen dead, the spell that had cursed Blackberry Blue's mother was broken.

Blackberry Blue recognised her immediately." Thank you, Laura, for sharing that answer for looking back through those pages of the text and using that evidence to support your answer.

Blackberry Blue reflects on one of the important themes of the text, family.

Refer to page 28.

How does the theme of family connect to the resolution of the text? Pause video while you refer to page 28 and share your answer to this question with someone nearby.

Here is Jacob.

"Blackberry Blue has started a new family, marrying Prince Just and having a daughter.

She still thinks about the wood cutter and his wife who had supported her when she was growing up." Yeah.

Thank you so much for sharing that, Jacob.

It was really quite moving and touching.

Check for understanding.

How does Prince Just recognise Blackberry Blue's real identity? Refer to page 27 to support.

He remembers that she saved him from the wolf.

He remembers that she kissed him.

He remembers that she cured him from the poison.

He remembers that she danced with him.

So pause the video while you decide how does Prince Just recognise Blackberry Blue's real identity? Well done if you selected that he remembers she saved him from the wolf, and he remembers that she cured him from the poison.

Really good use of referring back to the text to support you.

Here's a recap of some of the features of a traditional fairy tale: Magical or supernatural elements such as fairies, witches, and enchanted objects.

Oh, so exciting.

Usually including a hero or heroine who overcomes obstacles to achieve their goals.

Frequently involve a conflict between good and evil forces.

Often contain an important moral or lesson taught.

Repetition of phrases, motifs, or story elements, which can reinforce themes.

Hmm.

Now I'm wondering, is there a fairy tale you know that links closely with 'Blackberry Blue'? How does it connect with themes, events, or characters in 'Blackberry Blue'? Pause the video while you consider which fairy tale links to 'Blackberry Blue'.

Here's Jun.

"'Blackberry Blue' reminds me of the fairy tale 'Cinderella'.

Cinderella also has to leave a ball at a certain time, otherwise the magic will fade.

Yeah, absolutely Jun, I can see a number of similarities there between Blackberry Blue and Cinderella.

And Alex, "Blackberry Blue's dresses made me think of the Romani fairy tale 'Mossycoat,' where the main character has a coat made of natural materials." Oh, fantastic.

Love that answer as well.

Thank you, Alex.

So again, there's a range of fairy tales, traditional tales that 'Blackberry Blue' can be connected to.

We are going to explore the connections to 'Cinderella' in more detail.

Versions of the Cinderella story have been around a long time, across many different cultures and in many languages.

I'd like to share a few of them with you here.

So here we have a version of Cinderella.

We have another version of Cinderella.

'Cinderella of the Nile.

' Then we have the 'Grimms' Fairy Tales' version of Cinderella and 'Chinese Cinderella.

' Don't these look very, very enticing.

Want to read all of them, now.

I wonder if you've come across any of these versions of Cinderella or maybe a different version.

Check for understanding.

True or false, there is just one version of 'Cinderella'.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

Now I'd like you to justify your answer.

'Cinderella' has been written in many different languages and told us a story in lots of different cultures across the world.

'Cinderella' was written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

Pause video while you select which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

Well done if you selected the first statement.

Both of them are true, but it's the first statement that more directly justifies your earlier answer.

'Cinderella' (sometimes known as The 'Little Glass Slipper') is a fairy tale about a young girl living in upsetting circumstances, which are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune, when she marries royalty.

The tale has been found across many countries, including those in Asia and Europe.

Versions of the story can even be traced to ancient Greek civilization.

One of the first texts translated into English was from Charles Perrault in 1697 as 'Cendrillon' (later anglicised as Cinderella).

Perrault's version then led to the Brother's Grimm writing their version 'Aschenputtel' in their popular folk tale collection 'Grimms' Fairy Tales' in 1812.

Jamila Gavin mentions the Brothers Grimm in her preface in the text.

Here's a short summary of the story of 'Cinderella'.

A young girl named Cinderella is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters who force her to do hard work from morning till night.

Despite her hardships, Cinderella remains kind and gentle, finding solace in the company of the birds and animals in the forest.

So finding solace means she found comfort and support in the company of their birds and animals in the forest.

A royal ball is announced and Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters attend, leaving her behind.

Cinderella longs to go.

With the help of magic, Cinderella is able to attend the ball, wearing a beautiful dress and glass slippers provided by her fairy godmother.

At the ball, Cinderella captivates the prince with her grace and beauty, but she must leave before midnight as her magic will fade.

In her haste to depart, Cinderella loses one of her glass slippers on the staircase, which the prince finds.

He vows to find the mysterious maiden who fits the slipper.

The prince travels the kingdom in search of the owner of the slipper, eventually arriving at Cinderella's home.

Despite her stepsister's attempts to deceive him, the slipper fits Cinderella perfectly.

Cinderella is reunited with the prince and they are married, living happily ever after while her stepfamily receive appropriate punishment for their cruelty.

Wow, what a tale.

So much goes on in this story of Cinderella, so many highs and lows.

Check for understanding.

Sequence the following events from 'Cinderella' in chronological order.

That means in the sequence that they occurred.

A royal ball is announced and Cinderella desperately wants to attend.

As the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella has to depart leaving a glass slipper on the staircase.

Cinderella is treated badly by her stepmother and stepsisters.

Cinderella is transformed with the help of a fairy godmother.

So pause video while you place these events in chronological order.

Okay, so did you get this one, first of all? That Cinderella is treated badly by her stepmother and stepsisters.

Next, the royal ball ball is announced and Cinderella desperately wants to attend.

She is transformed with the help of a fairy godmother.

And then as the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella has to depart, leaving a glass slipper on the staircase.

Well done if you sequence the events in this order.

And now it's time for your first task.

In this task, we are going to explore the connections between 'Blackberry Blue' and 'Cinderella'.

Place the statements below into the correct area of the Venn diagram.

This will be on the following slide.

Leaves the trailer petals as dawn breaks.

Leaves a glass slipper at midnight.

Saves the Prince.

Overcomes adversity.

So adversity is when there's trouble or challenge, a difficult situation.

Is saved by the Prince.

Is transformed by magic.

Is married in the resolution of the story.

Now here is our Venn diagram for the connections between 'Blackberry Blue' and 'Cinderella'.

So place the features of 'Blackberry Blue' on the left and the features of 'Cinderella' on the right.

And the features that are in both of these texts will go in the middle of our Venn diagram.

So pause the video while you have a go at this task.

It's good to be back with you.

I'm curious to find out what connections you've made between 'Blackberry Blue' and 'Cinderella'.

Let's have a look.

Features of 'Blackberry Blue': Saves the Prince.

Yeah.

Oh, I like that one.

Leaves a trail of petals as dawn breaks.

Let's see what features are in both texts.

Is transformed by magic.

Is married in the resolution.

And overcomes adversity, difficulty and challenge.

And let's see, what are some of the features of 'Cinderella'? Is saved by the Prince and leaves a glass slipper at midnight.

So we can see in the features that are specific to 'Blackberry Blue' and 'Cinderella', there are actually some kind of similarities.

So there's one about who is saved.

In 'Blackberry Blue', it's the Prince.

In 'Cinderella', it's Cinderella that's saved.

And both of them have the protagonist leaving something behind.

So Blackberry Blue leaves the petals as dawn breaks and Cinderella leaves the glass slipper at midnight.

Well done for making these connections.

And can you think of any other connections between the two fairy tales? Keep thinking, keep exploring, that's what great texts encourage us to do.

And now it's time for identifying and reflecting on themes.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Within literature, authors use techniques to convey themes to the reader.

Convey is one of our keywords.

And to convey means to communicate a message, either directly or indirect.

These themes often mirror issues and topics that we encounter in our own lives, making the story relatable to the reader.

Examples of themes: friendship, family, love, courage, betrayal, good versus evil, death, protection, loneliness and survival.

So many interesting themes there.

I wonder if there are any themes in particular that you enjoy reading about.

I know that I'm quite drawn to themes of friendship, family, love.

Oh, I think I'm gonna read through the whole list.

I love all of these, but yes, definitely friendship, family, and love.

What about you? What themes are you drawn to, I wonder? Pause the video and show someone nearby which of these themes are your favourite themes to read about? I hope you enjoyed sharing and maybe you've inspired each other to read about some different themes.

Identifying themes within a text involves inference.

Themes are not explicitly stated within a text.

Authors commonly use repetition to convey themes to the reader.

There are a few ways to identify themes.

Considering actions and characteristics of people within the text.

Identifying repetition, actions, emotions and traits that recur.

Searching for deeper meanings using inference, looking for those clues.

Considering the overall message of the text.

There are many possible themes that can be drawn out from this text.

Readers may interpret themes and their importance differently.

Let's take a look at some of the themes.

Compassion, oh, that's one of my favourite words.

Magic, that one's quite exciting too.

Family, love that.

And here's justice, one of our key words, it's a noun.

Fairness in the treatment of others, often involving punishment or reward based on their actions.

These are just some of the themes that can be inferred.

There are many more.

Check for understanding.

Match the theme with how it is conveyed in the text.

So we have the theme of justice, compassion, and family, and how these are conveyed in the text.

Blackberry Blue forms a new family with the Prince.

She's reunited with her mother, but still remembers the woodcutter and his wife.

The Queen and Prince Wolf are punished for their cruelty.

Blackberry Blue cares for Prince Just when he's unwell.

She protects him from the wolf.

So pause the video while he matched the theme to how it is conveyed in the text.

So justice is the fact that the Queen and Prince Wolf are punished for their cruelty.

Compassion is the way in which Blackberry Blue cares for Prince Just.

And family is conveyed through Blackberry Blue forming the new family and also being reunited with her mother and remembering the wood cutter and his wife.

Well done if you made these connections.

And now it's time for your task.

I would like you to discuss which other themes appear throughout the narrative.

So we've already looked at compassion, magic, family, and justice.

Some themes are more complex and encourage us to consider their meaning.

So pause the video while you discuss with someone nearby, which other themes appear throughout the narrative.

Okay.

What did you come up with? I am so curious.

Happiness, empathy, resilience, belonging, identity, hope, nature, overcoming adversity.

I'm noticing how reading out these eight themes is really having a positive impact on me.

All of these themes, I find very inspiring.

How wonderful and what a rich narrative to include all of these themes.

And now onto the next part of your task.

Fairy tales often contain an important moral or lesson taught.

I'd like you to answer the following question: What important moral or lesson did 'Blackberry Blue' teach you? And you can begin your sentence like this: From reading 'Blackberry Blue', I have learnt.

So pause the video here and reflect upon what you've learned from reading 'Blackberry Blue'.

It's great to be back with you.

And I am so curious to find out what important moral or lesson did 'Blackberry Blue' teach you? Let's hear a few answers.

Here's Sam.

"From reading 'Blackberry Blue', I have learnt that no matter your circumstances, if you work hard and persevere, you can accomplish great things." Oh my goodness, I love that, Sam.

Yes, absolutely.

Let's all do this.

Let's all work hard.

Whatever our circumstances, we can do it.

We can make great things happen.

And what does Izzy have to say? "Just like Blackberry Blue's mother mentions in the book, I think that this text taught me goodness will always prevail." That means it will triumph, it will win through.

"If you are kind and respectful, you will make your world a better place." Oh my goodness, Izzy, that is just filling me with a very warm feeling to read that answer.

Let's do it.

Come on.

Let's do it everyone.

Let's be kind and respectful.

Let's make this world an amazing and better place.

In our lesson, Making connections to 'Blackberry Blue', we have covered the following: A text can connect to a reader, another text or the wider world.

When comparing to other texts, readers can look for connections in themes, events, or characters.

'Blackberry Blue' shares lots of similarities with fairy and folk tales, especially 'Cinderella'.

A theme is a big idea, topic or message that recurs within a story.

Some themes are more complex.

They can impart important morals or lessons regardless of the time in which the text was written.

Thank you so much everyone for joining in with this lesson.

I loved hearing about the connections you were making between 'Blackberry Blue' and 'Cinderella'.

The themes that you came up with, I found particularly inspiring, and I loved those morals or lessons that you are taking away from this text.

So much for us to go out into this world and do, be kind and make it a better place.

I love that.

I'll see you at the next lesson.

Bye for now.